عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iraq’s Kadhimi Praises Meeting with Trump, Pro-Iran Factions Threaten Washington

The meeting of US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi at the White House, Asharq Al-Awsat
The meeting of US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi at the White House, Asharq Al-Awsat
    Washington, Baghdad - Moaz al-Omari, Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Iraq’s Kadhimi Praises Meeting with Trump, Pro-Iran Factions Threaten Washington

The meeting of US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi at the White House, Asharq Al-Awsat
The meeting of US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi at the White House, Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Friday described his meeting with US President Donald Trump as significant and successful, and confirmed that both Iraqi and American sides have exited the meeting with comfort and ease.

“A series of principles were agreed upon, all of which are in the interests of the Iraqi people; principles which are related to the US presence, redefining the timeline of the US troops withdrawal from Iraq and relocating them outside the country,” Kadhimi said in an interview with Al Iraqiya.

Kadhimi noted that they agreed on the formation of a technical team to establish a mechanism for the deployment of US troops outside Iraq, noting that for the first time, the US had a clear stance on the Iraqi government's demands.

He noted that the US president said that the number of US troops in Iraq is very small, but that Iraq needs these forces to train and develop the army and security forces.

The Iraqi PM said that a series of agreements on oil and energy were signed, the most important of which is an oil contract in Dhi Qar province, and that this is a strategic project which has many benefits and interests for the province and Iraq in general.

Meanwhile, pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq released a joint statement voicing grave anger towards the results of Kadhimi’s visit to the US. They also threatened to escalate by targeting US interests in Iraq.

US Department of State Arabic Language Spokesperson Christiaan James, on the other hand, said that many political figures in Iraq are Iranian puppets and proxies.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, James noted that recent protests that swept Iraqi cities and governorates were directed against Iranian hegemony over Iraq. He added that Iran continues to work to control the political life and economy in Iraq and is behind spurring tensions and violence in the Levantine country.

James stressed that the US stands by the Iraqi people, and urged the government to undertake more reforms and swift measures to hold militias accountable for their attacks against peaceful Iraqi protesters.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

At Least 3 Dead, over 1,000, Including Hezbollah Members, Wounded in Pager Blasts in Lebanon

Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)
TT
TT

At Least 3 Dead, over 1,000, Including Hezbollah Members, Wounded in Pager Blasts in Lebanon

Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)
Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024. (EPA)

At least three people were killed and more than 1,000 others including Hezbollah fighters, medics and Iran's envoy to Beirut were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, security sources told Reuters.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the "biggest security breach" the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare in parallel with the Gaza war which erupted last October, the worst such escalation in years.

The Israeli military declined to comment on Reuters enquiries about the detonations.

Hezbollah confirmed in a statement the deaths of at least three people, including two of its fighters. The third person killed was a girl, it said, adding that an investigation was being conducted into the causes of the blasts.

One of the fighters killed was the son of a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, two security sources told Reuters.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, suffered a minor injury when a pager exploded, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"Amani has a superficial injury and is currently under observation in a hospital," Fars quoted a source as saying.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The pagers that detonated were the latest model brought in by Hezbollah in recent months, three security sources said.

A Reuters journalist saw ambulances rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. A security source said that devices were also exploding in the south of Lebanon.

SCREAMING IN PAIN

At Mt. Lebanon hospital, a Reuters reporter saw motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, where people with their hands bloodied were screaming in pain.

The head of the Nabatieh public hospital in the south of the country, Hassan Wazni, told Reuters that around 40 wounded people were being treated at his facility. The wounds included injuries to the face, eyes and limbs.

The wave of explosions lasted around an hour after the initial detonations, which took place about 3:45 p.m. local time (1345 GMT). It was not immediately clear how the devices were detonated.

Lebanese internal security forces said a number of wireless communication devices were detonated across Lebanon, especially in Beirut's southern suburbs, leading to injuries.

Groups of people huddled at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been wounded, the Reuters journalist said.

Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage which showed what appeared to be a small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier where an individual was paying spontaneously exploding.

In other footage, an explosion appeared to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand at a market area.

Lebanon’s crisis operations center, which is run by the health ministry, asked all medical workers to head to their respective hospitals to help cope with the massive numbers of wounded coming in for urgent care. It said health care workers should not use pagers.

The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 50 ambulances and 300 emergency medical staff were dispatched to help in the evacuation of victims.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from towns and villages on both sides of the border by the hostilities.